That's pretty funny, considering that the point of the book was to embrace your own originality, to pioneer something that is true, and pure, and here you are, talking about how you're trying to change who you may naturally be in order to be more like her characters.

I doubt Roark would approve.

True terror lies in the futility of human existence.

Malcolm Reynolds is my co-pilot.

"The only freedom deserving the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest." - John Stuart Mill

I'm rereading Atlas Shrugged now for the 4th time. I have yet to encounter a novel as brilliantly written and well put together as this. every chapter has something to say or something important hidden in it to be disccovered later, usually both. She took 12 years to write it and I'd say it was worth every moment she spent.

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

Rainswept wrote:I'm rereading Atlas Shrugged now for the 4th time. I have yet to encounter a novel as brilliantly written and well put together as this. every chapter has something to say or something important hidden in it to be disccovered later, usually both. She took 12 years to write it and I'd say it was worth every moment she spent.

Just be careful not to become a so-called 'Randian' fanatic.

Objectivism is best integrated with existing philosophies, not taken as a new way of life.

[...] the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory.-Darwin

I'm not quite an objectivist, but I definately have objectivistic tendencies. I keep my mind and options open, but so far I have yet to find a philosophy which fits together as well and makes as much sense.

It's kinda like what Churchill said about Democracy.. â€œIt has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.â€

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

Rainswept wrote:I'm rereading Atlas Shrugged now for the 4th time. I have yet to encounter a novel as brilliantly written and well put together as this. every chapter has something to say or something important hidden in it to be disccovered later, usually both. She took 12 years to write it and I'd say it was worth every moment she spent.

... she took 12 years to write it and I'd say it was worth every moment she spent ...

I couldn't agree more! --- Ayn Rand is one of the greatest writers of all time, one of my personal favorites; I loved The Fountainhead as well.

Call me jaded, but I think the quality of a philosophy can be measured by how many pseudo-intellectuals reject it. (I'm not talking about anyone on this thread, but if the shoe fits . . .) Even those who hate Ayn Rand must admit that she never makes a single claim without providing a mountain of support for it, and her reasoning is always airtight. I've heard a lot of people disagree with Ayn Rand, I've heard very, very few people do so intelligently.

ChowMein wrote:I've only ever come across the two aforementioned novels...Is there another Rand epic anyone could recommend ?

Atlas Shrugged
The Fountainhead
Anthem
We The Living

Anthem is worth a read, but I highly recommend We The Living, which Rand descibes as being "As close to an autobiography as I will ever write." It tells the story of the collapse of Russia during the early days of the Communist regime.

The rest of her work is non-fiction, but I recommend that too, especially to her critics.

You missed "The Night of January 16th" which is a play, but fiction, as well as "The Early Ayn Rand" which is much more raw than her other works, and largely unfinished, but includes some interesting pieces.

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

It's wonderfully well written. It's huge, but with no fluff in it at all. Pretty much every part is in it for a reason, ties into the overall plot and theme, and is generally worded extremely well.

The only tiny critique I have is that her characters all feel a bit like a Will Smith part in a movie. You know what I mean, just a little too perfect to be believable, and even their flaws are perfect flaws which you respect them even more for. In other words, they are all heroes, not just characters.

I have never been able to say I have a favorite movie or TV show. There are several that I love very much in different ways. The same is true for albums and bands when it comes to music. I'm more passionate and picky about books, so it means something when I say I have a hands-down favorite book, and it's Atlas Shrugged.

I believe it's time for mankind to set aside the crutch of religion and embrace morality born of reason and truth. Those crutches have long since proven treacherous when the ground gets slippery.

I read the first twenty pages...looked at how much I had left and put the book down.

Any reason I should pick it up again?

So you're a Catholic! Listen, I have the Bible. I read the first twenty pages...looked at how much I had left and put the book down. Any reason I should pick it up again?

Atlas Shrugged, for lack of a better term, is my Bible. It absolutely changed my life and the lives of millions of others. In fact, I believe it was named as the second most influential book in a Time Magazine poll of Americans back in 1995 or some such.

If that doesn't sway you, just look at the second quote in your signature. Jesus died on the cross, I think you can read a big book, friend. Besides, all the cool kids are reading it.

[...] the difficulty of believing that a perfect and complex eye could be formed by natural selection, though insuperable by our imagination, should not be considered as subversive of the theory.-Darwin

I read the first twenty pages...looked at how much I had left and put the book down.

Any reason I should pick it up again?

So you're a Catholic! Listen, I have the Bible. I read the first twenty pages...looked at how much I had left and put the book down. Any reason I should pick it up again?

Atlas Shrugged, for lack of a better term, is my Bible. It absolutely changed my life and the lives of millions of others. In fact, I believe it was named as the second most influential book in a Time Magazine poll of Americans back in 1995 or some such.

If that doesn't sway you, just look at the second quote in your signature. Jesus died on the cross, I think you can read a big book, friend. Besides, all the cool kids are reading it.

That doesn't help at all.

Perhaps if I knew what the book was about. I can't get a straight answer from anyone as the people I talk too are too busy telling me how awesome this book is. If it was that awesome, the book wouldn't have bored the hell out of me in the first place.

And so we're clear, it's not the length of a book that keeps me from reading it. Hell, I'm a Stephen King fan. That man uses 100 pages to describe a single room.